Wednesday, April 27, 2016

My friends, It's with deep regret I have to cancel today's show. I've been suffering the last couple of days with vertigo and can hardly function, let alone do a two hour broadcast. I will try to get my guests on again as soon as possible and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

I
am a big fan of first meetings, or the Meet Cute as they are called
in romantic comedies. These often set the tone for the relationship,
and tell us a lot about how the couple will interact with one another
later in the story. It certainly is for Jak Foster and Arden
Templeton. Arden is a college art professor, newly hired at a college
in Florida. She meets Jak at a party for new faculty, where they are
introduced by mutual friends.

"Just like him to be late as
hell, stick around for five seconds and leave."

"That's what happens when you
insist that I come to a party like this," a man's voice said
behind them. "You know I hate these things. Since I'm not on the
faculty, I really don't see why I'm here."

"I told you. President Preston
wanted to meet you."

The other man groaned. Arden tried
to focus on his face, but couldn't see much since he was almost
directly above her. He was just over six feet tall, with rusty brown
hair. She thought his eyes might be green, but it was hard to tell in
the muted golden outdoor light.

"Doctor," Arden corrected.
"Templeton," she said carefully, finding her tongue didn't
want to work properly. She set her glass down unsteadily, licking her
lips. They felt numb. "Doctor Arden Templeton." She touched
the tip of her tongue with her fingers. "Oh, damn," she
said, holding the appendage. "I can't feel my tongue."

Her friends laughed as she giggled
at herself.

"Yuck." She wiped her
fingers on the napkin. "No more of that."

"Is that a Charlie special?"
the new man asked.

"Yes. I think I'll be drunk for
a year. . . ."

"Mind if I have some? I'm
thirsty and I don't want to go back inside."

"Sure, if you don't mind
sharing germs."

"Baby, there's so much alcohol
in this, nothing lives. Including brain cells." He took up the
drink, tossing it back like a shooter. He sighed happily, smacking
his lips. "Those always taste like more."

"I'll get you one," Reed
said. "Go, mingle."

"I'm fine here," Jak said
from behind and to Arden's left.

He was just far enough out of her
line of vision, that even if she turned her head, she couldn't
exactly see him. She had the impression he was well built, muscular
and tanned. That was all she could really tell. He smelled good too,
or maybe that was the honeysuckle on the fence to his left.

"So, Jak," she said
slowly, enunciating carefully. "If you're not one of us, why are
you here?"

He chuckled, shaking the ice in the
glass. "I keep asking myself that. It's a great place to pick up
women?"

Head wobbling slightly, she forced
herself to focus on him. "You're kidding, right?"

He paused and his lips twitched, his
green eyes twinkling. "Most of the young, attractive ones are
married to my best friends. You're not with one of the wonder geeks,
are you?"

Reed brought the drink, handing it
to him as Ianna dragged him off to dance. Jak drank it much the same
way, tossing it down with a jerk of his head.

"I had an adviser who didn't
pay attention to me. I got a lot of lousy advice, followed by more
rotten advice. By the time I realized what was happening to me, it
was too late. I graduated with a 3.85, so I don't think I did too
badly."

"Oh, hell no. You put smart
people to shame." He grinned down at her.

"Can you do me a teeny favor?"
She said, trying not to slur as she struggled to hold her fingers
half an inch apart.

"Sure."

"Can you stand over here where
I can see you? I can't seem to move my head."

Laughing, Jak walked around to face
her. At this angle, his features were in shadow, the setting sun
behind him. The lights in the yard were dim enough to keep his face
concealed. There was a flash of white teeth and a deep chested
chuckle. He was wearing a pale brown jacket and pants that moved like
linen. His shirt might have been white. No tie, just a hemp macrame
necklace with wooden beads.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

I
am a big fan of first meetings, or the Meet Cute as they are called
in romantic comedies. These often set the tone for the relationship,
and tell us a lot about how the couple will interact with one another
later in the story. When Vik Windsor meets Gemma Reinhardt, she is
actually dating his best friend and roommate, Ken. Oddly, though, Ken
isn't so much interested in dating Gemma as he is in painting her
portrait. She reluctantly agrees to sit for him, and he is expecting
her to arrive when Vik comes home.

He
flashed a charming smile. Gemma smiled hesitantly in return, walking
around him timidly, giving him a wide berth. She scurried past him to
stand by Kendrick.

"Vik
is my roommate. He's also an artist. The other half of the two man
show."

"The
less talented half," Vik said with a smirk. "And you are
the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He walked closer,
hands in his pockets, a cheeky grin on his face. His eyes examined
her pointedly, admiringly.

Gemma
wasn't sure how to react to that. She retreated from him slightly,
standing closer to Kendrick, who gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I
wasn't sure you'd come. I hoped."

"Bernie,
the maid, you met her last night. She told me I owed it to myself to
discover the adventure."

"I'm
not sure I know what that means."

"Me
either," Gemma admitted. "But I'm here. I won't go nude,"
she said hastily. "But I brought some dresses that might work.
Including the red one from last night because you seemed to like it
so much."

"Thank
you," Kendrick said, giving her another kiss on the cheek.

Vik's
brown eyes watched the exchange with interest. His friend was clearly
interested in Gemma, though not in the way that Vik was. Ken found
her a fascinating subject for his art. Vik found her fascinating in a
variety of different ways, none of which pertained to art in any
discernible way. She was clearly struggling with her decision, but
determined to embrace the new experience.

"Shall
I change?" She held up the dresses, casting about for a place to
go.

"In
a little while. Why don't we talk about what I'm looking for?"

"Okay.
I thought a portrait?"

"Not
exactly. I want to explore your essence."

Vik
couldn't control a snort. Kendrick glared at him. Gemma looked up,
surprised that he was still there.

Vik
had never felt so innocuous before. He wasn't sure he liked the
feeling. He'd never had a woman blow him off like that. He was more
than passably good looking and charming. He never lacked for female
companionship, yet she wouldn't give him the time of day, he was
sure.

"No,
thanks." Ken blew him off too.

Shrugging,
Vik walked into the kitchen and got himself a beer. Popping the cap
off against the counter, he took a long pull on it. He'd been on the
go steadily for a week, drumming up sponsors for their art show, as
well as customers for a new web design business they hoped to start
together. Kendrick was the major talent, but Vik was the smooth
talker, the charmer. He could sell people the moon and stars if he
tried hard enough. It had been a very successful venture and he felt
pretty good about it. It was obvious that he wasn't going to have a
chance to talk to his friend while Gemma was there, so he went
upstairs for a shower.

Ten
minutes later, they were still sitting in the living room area,
talking. Hungry, he fixed himself a sandwich. It seemed rude to eat
in front of the others, so he fixed them sandwiches too. Ken often
wouldn't eat unless someone shoved food at him, particularly if he
was in an artistic mood. Vik served them sandwiches and iced tea. Ken
barely noticed, but Gemma thanked him with a smile. After taking a
delicate bite, she licked her lips.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

I
am a big fan of first meetings, or the Meet Cute as they are called
in romantic comedies. These often set the tone for the relationship,
and tell us a lot about how the couple will interact with one another
later in the story. In the case of Lake Palmer and Brooke Preston,
their first meeting is a little bumpy, but luckily for them, they
smooth things over. When Brooke walks into the library where he
works, Lake sees a tall, gorgeous redhead and is immediately
attracted. Unfortunately, his unintentional leer puts her off and she
overreacts.

"May
I help you, Miss?" My mama raised me to be a Southern Gentleman.
It mostly took.

Her
expression was chilling, making all those glib remarks I had planned
to say dissipate like clouds in a stiff wind.

"If
you think you're man enough," she smiled coldly. "Sure. I
need to do research on human sexuality."

I
gulped, thinking how I'd love to help her research the good, old
fashioned way. That line of thought halted abruptly when I was the
cold challenge in her icy blue eyes. She wanted me to make just one
scandalous comment. She'd be all over that. Crappy as it is, I need
this job, so I swallowed my tacky comments.

"Big
no, Jobu," I muttered as I led her to the computers, thinking
that was totally unfair. I had offered my help.

"It
has listings of everything we have here, the specialized collection
next door, the city library and all the college libraries in the
state."

"Peachy,"
she sat down in the chair I held for her. "Just show me how to
work it."

I
wouldn't normally have tolerated her attitude, but my boss was
watching me. He's sure I'm a slacker and sometimes he's right. He has
this sixth sense and knows when I'm about to screw up. So instead of
telling the beautiful, lethal, frigid bitch exactly what I thought of
her human sexuality, I sat next to her, careful to keep my
hands in plain sight so my boss wouldn't get the wrong idea.

The
computerized catalog is buggy and opened up slowly. Ice Princess
acted like it was all my fault. She checked her watch for the third
time as it finally filled the screen. She relaxed slightly, wiggling
in her seat to find a more comfortable angle. Impossible to do in
these chairs. They are molded plastic and must be made a Calvin Klein
model or a five year old's ass, because no one else fits. I sensed
that was about to become the new complaint, so I waited impatiently
for the search engine to load.

"Could
we speed this up? I've got a class in an hour. I don't want to be
late."

"Is
it my fault it's the shittiest computer program in the history of
man? Try Zen meditation, Princess. It's working for me."

Mentally
kicking myself in the balls, I typed in her subject quickly, hitting
the enter key harder than necessary. I could feel a flush of anger
and embarrassment burning my ears and knew she could see it too. My
brown hair is clipped short for the summer heat. Even with my tan,
it's obvious when I blush, because I turn a nasty shade of vermilion.

A
sneer of satisfaction tugged her full, luscious, lips. The first page
came up on the screen. I turned to Ice Princess with a fake smile
plastered on my face, giving her the shtick about how to use the
system.

"Use
the function keys to move between pages. There's a sheet at the base
of the monitor to help you navigate. Don't use the web page back
button, use the on screen commands or it will crash on you. The
program is buggy as hell. If you need any further help, I'd be happy
to assist you."

"Will
you really?" Her tone was snotty and condescending as
hell. "I doubt that."

Smiling
as nicely as I could, a cold fury burning in my eyes, I forced myself
to speak politely. "If it will help to speed your research,
Miss, I'd be more than happy to help you."

If
it will just get you out of my fucking library, I'll research your
subject myself! That's what I was thinking, but I didn't dare say
it. My boss would be all over that like flies on shit. He can read
lips. Even if I whispered it, he'd know.

"Peachy,"
she said again, tossing her long, wavy, hair practically in my face.

She
smelled fantastic and her top was cut to reveal way more cleavage
than it was polite for me to look at over her shoulder. This girl was
a walking human sexuality research project all by herself. Why she
needed any books on the subject, I didn't know. Something about her
made me want to slobber all over her and do nasty things to every
part of her body.

I
forced myself to walk away before I said or did something outrageous
and got myself fired.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Red
River Radio is proud to present Dellani's Tea Time with host Dellani
Oakes and Co-host Christina Giguere. Today's guests will be Paty
Jager, Lindsay Downs and Gary Henry. Tune in Today, March 11 at 4 PM
EDT for this fantastic show!

GaryD. Henry, author of Falling Waters, Witch Woods, A Father First and
many more.

PatyJager, author of Husband for Christmas, Laying Claim, Doctor in
Petticots, among others.

LindsayDowns, author of Lady Valentine, Masked Lady, Married Christmas and
many more.

Tuesday, April 05, 2016

I
am a big fan of first meetings, or the Meet Cute as they are called
in romantic comedies. These often set the tone for the relationship,
and tell us a lot about how the couple will interact with one another
later in the story.

Asher
Wilkinson is an actor with an improv group, much like Whose Line Is
It Anyway, that performs at a local club. They each take turns acting
as MC and this night, it's Hansel's turn. Gay and in a committed
relationship, Hansel always likes to look out for the romantic
interests of his friends. As MC, he chooses participants from the
audience and tonight, he chooses the lovely, poised Ruby for Asher to
improvise a song about her job.

Asher
grinned, waving as the ladies cheered. Hansel made a big show of
choosing someone from the audience, but Asher knew he'd made his
decision before the show even started. An attractive, well groomed
woman rose from her table three tiers up. Hansel met her, holding her
hand as he asked her name and profession. She was average height,
with walnut brown hair and melted chocolate eyes. Her full lips were
tinged ripe cherry red. Her figure was trim, but well padded in all
the right places.

"Hi,
I'm Hansel." He held out his hand, taking hers.

"Ruby,"
she replied in a well modulated alto.

"What
do you do, Ruby?" Hansel asked.

"Spend
other people's money," she said with a toss of her long, brown
hair.

"Oh,
really? That sounds fun. Are you an identity thief?" Hansel
teased.

"Well,
Ruby, the Personal Shopper. Asher here is going to sing you a song.
Would you like that?"

"I
can't think of single a thing I'd like more." Ruby walked up the
two steps to the low stage, stopping in front of Asher. Her dark
brown eyes gave him a once over from his short blond hair, to his
blue eyes, brilliant smile, broad shoulders and down. Did her eyes
linger on his fly a moment longer than they had on his face? Biting
her lip, she took his hand. Asher grinned, ducking his head, trying
to keep his face from showing his delight in meeting her.

Marissa
glared at Asher before beginning to play. Hansel hadn't specified
what genre the song was to be, so she chose the one she knew Asher
liked the least, boogie-woogie. It wasn't that he objected to the
genre, per se, but he found the rhythm hard to put lyrics to.

Instead
of sitting still on the stool, Ruby got up, took his hand and started
dancing. Asher took full advantage of the situation, swinging her
around the stage, showing off his dance skills. The lyrics forgotten,
they danced another minute or two until Marissa got to the end of the
song and abruptly stopped playing.

Applause
was uproarious. Ruby's friends started a standing ovation. Asher
twirled Ruby under his arm, catching her before lowering her into a
dip so deep, the ends of her hair touched the floor. Raising her
slowly, he held her close. Ruby lost her balance, swaying toward him.
He steadied her and she pressed one palm to his chest. Asher closed
his eyes for a second, inhaling her scent, before releasing her.
Hansel saw her back to her seat and Asher stood on the stage,
watching her walk away.